X: Deadly Espionage
Drake We waited until nightfall before starting our mission. I’m sure Xena and Amber were used to high-stakes missions like this, but this was a completely new experience for me. I was afraid of failure, and I was afraid of death. I didn’t know why I was so eager to go earlier. It was probably because doing this meant I got the chance to go on an adventure with Xena. The only question was, would we make it out of this in one piece? Xena I fit my communicator into my pocket, and I slipped my pocket knife into the other one. My powers hadn’t returned to me yet, but all the training I received still made me a force to be reckoned with. I looked over at Drake, and I noticed that he looked very concerned. I was about to go comfort him, but Amber cut me off. She looked sad. “Xena, I’m so sorry for earlier. I really don’t want us to hate each other. Can you please forgive me?” she said in a passive tone. I smiled at her. “I can never stay mad at you Amber.” We held each other in a tight embrace, and I was happy to still be on her good side. Marc I was preparing for the mission, but then I noticed Xena and Amber holding each other really, really tight. I had to talk to Drake about this. I tapped his shoulder. “Hey Drake.” “What’s up little bro?” he replied. I started whispering. “Do you think that those two have a thing for each other?” Drake’s face got really red. “Uh, well, I wouldn’t know for sure, I mean, they are best friends. Best friends don’t always love each other, you know? Uh, yeah.” I wasn’t sure why Drake was so nervous, but I didn’t have time to think about it. Dimitri approached the four of us. “Alright you four, I just have some final pointers before you begin your mission. First, remember that this is a reconnaissance mission. Do not attract attention to yourselves. Second, don’t do anything brash. You can be as aggressive as you want during our full invasion. Third, should you get hurt, contact us immediately. We’ll do our best to bring you back to safety. Got it?” he explained. The four of us nodded. “Alright then, good luck. Paris is a large city, so try not to get lost,” he said. After our debriefing, the four of us headed for the Liberation Front’s garage. Amber I was amazed at the wide selection of vehicles the LF had for us to choose from. I wanted to choose something fast and strong, but also something that wouldn’t stand out from the other vehicles. A hovercar would probably be our best option. Unfortunately, the dumbass Marc had to open his big mouth first. “Guys, we should all get out own motorcycles. That would be badass!” he cheered. I facepalmed. “Marc, our goal is to be sneaky. Motorcycles aren’t sneaky at all. Come on man, think,” Drake said. “Right, sorry,” Marc apologized. Xena looked around, and pointed at a smaller car that still had room for all four of us. “Let’s choose that one. It seems perfect for a quick getaway if we need it.” I love the way she thinks. We all agreed with her idea. “I’m driving,” I said confidently. As I ran for the driver’s seat, I noticed that Drake held the door open for Xena. They smiled at each other, and he politely closed the door for her. I shot him a look. I didn’t know who he thought he was, but Xena doesn’t need a man to do simple stuff for her. Xena I never got tired of being on the road. The high speeds, and your hair blowing in the wind made it such a great experience. However, I wasn’t here to enjoy myself, sort of. I had an important mission to complete, and this time, I had to make sure my friends made it out alive. I’ll never forget Des, Ivy, and Yun. Those three gave their lives because of my brash decisions. It won’t happen again. When we neared the Eiffel Tower, we parked the car, and proceeded on foot. So far, we hadn’t met any resistance, but that could change at any time. We had to keep our guard up. There weren’t many tourists near the Eiffel Tower when we arrived, and that was very unusual. Normally, the area was packed so thick that you could barely see ten feet ahead of you. “Something isn’t right. Should we report this to Dimitri?” Drake asked. “You worried about a few people being gone? Stop being a baby. This has nothing to do with the mission,” Amber scoffed. Ignoring her snide remark, Drake replied. “Then I guess you know where the secret entrance is. It’s not like it will be right out in the open.” All of a sudden, a secret opening in the ground opened up. It was just large enough for one person to pass through at a time. We looked around to see who did it, and it turned out, it was Marc. He found the lever that opened the hatch. “Great job Marc. Let’s go,” Drake said enthusiastically. We all climbed down into the Zoni’s underground chamber. The entrance looked like a simple hole in the ground, but the interior had the most complex machinery and technology that I had ever seen. Whoever the Zoni were, they clearly knew what they were doing. All of a sudden, we heard footsteps. “Hide!” I said with urgency. We all hid under whatever we could find. Two Zoni troops walked by. They were having a conversation. “So, when do you think those bastard LF troopers will attack?” “I don’t know, but those guys are in way over their heads. I heard they only had a little over 1000. We already outnumber then ten to one.” “Ha, yeah. We’ll crush them before they can even lift a finger. Ozone already has a battle strategy that’s foolproof.” “He’s a brilliant general. Once the LF are out of the way, no one will stop us from taking over the rest of France, and then, America.” My heart almost stopped. I didn’t realize that they were planning to take over the States. “We have to tell this to Dimitri immediately. This is bad news,” Amber said. Marc sighed. “Big deal. There are other countries that can combat the United States.” Amber slapped him. “You dumbass, get a grip. The United States is the largest military power in the world. We cannot allow the Zoni to have that.” Marc rubbed his face, and he looked somber. I guess he didn’t realize the scale of what was happening. “Let’s not waste any time. We have to get out of here, and inform Dimitri immediately,” Drake urged. “Right, I’ll do it,” I replied. I immediately contacted Dimitri on my communicator. It was refreshing to see his face on that tiny screen. “Salut. This is Dimitri,” he said. “Dimitri, this is Xena. I’m afraid I have some bad news. The Zoni want to conquer the United States. They want to use France as a stepping stone,” I said. “Thanks for informing me Xena. We’ll attack them sooner and . . . oh no,” he said with a sudden change of tone. “What is it? What’s wrong?” “I see Zoni hovercars and airships flying over the city. They’re all headed toward us. There are so many soldiers out there. We’re terribly outnumbered, Xena.” “But, that’s impossible. They can’t be attacking already.” I heard the sound of marching and large scale movement on his end. Dimitri ended the call. “That explains why there isn’t any security here. The Zoni must have moved their forces to a different location without us knowing,” Drake said. “Well, we obviously can’t stop a whole army alone. We have to find a way to help the LF, and save Paris,” Marc said. “For once, I agree with Marc. Let’s get above ground now,” Amber said. We all ran back up toward the surface. I was afraid of what to expect. Next time on 13th Redux... Category:Chapters